Riverside vs Westwood

Westwood is the younger of the two, with a median age of 37 against 40 in Riverside. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Westwood, about half of households are people living alone. On these figures, Riverside tends to suit older residents, while Westwood suits people living alone.

Riverside and Westwood are very different in scale: Riverside is a substantial suburb of 7,326 people, while Westwood is tiny at 88 residents. Westwood offers notably higher median household income at $136,500 compared to Riverside's $78,988, and sits in a slightly higher socio-economic decile. However, Riverside has lower median weekly rent at $300 versus Westwood's $180, which may reflect Westwood's smaller, more limited rental market. Both are similarly distant from the CBD and face comparable low bushfire risk, making Westwood better suited to those seeking a quieter, more affluent setting, while Riverside offers more amenities and services typical of a larger regional centre.

Written by an AI language model from the figures below. Every number in it is checked against those figures before it is published.

Which one suits you?

There is no overall winner — the suburb that suits a family with school-age kids is routinely the wrong one for someone commuting into the city. So each of these answers its own question, against a checklist you can see, using the same figures in the tables below.

Families with school-age kids

Riverside

ahead on 4 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more parks and reserves (7 vs 0)
  • has more childcare (5 vs 0)
  • has more schools inside the suburb (4 vs 0)

Weighs schools, house stock, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.

First-home buyers

Westwood

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (8% vs 22%)

Weighs mortgage stress.

Renters

Westwood

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • leaves renters under less rental stress (7% vs 20%)
  • has cheaper rent ($180/wk vs $300/wk)

Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.

Commuting to the city

Westwood

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • sits closer to the CBD (206 km vs 211.4 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Riverside

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has more residents already 65 and over (22% vs 12%)

Weighs who already lives there, GPs, and walkability.

Investors

Westwood

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (39.7% vs 13.2%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

Riverside and Westwood drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.

Riverside Westwood
Hides rows where both suburbs match

Bars start at zero. Scores, risks and rankings are drawn against their full 0–100 range; other rows are drawn in proportion to the larger of the two.

Side by side, out of 100

Risks are inverted — shown as safety and low exposure — so a longer bar always means better.

Riverside Westwood
Walkability 0 / 0
Riverside — Walkability: 0/100 Westwood — Walkability: 0/100
Low fire risk 76 / 75
Riverside — Low fire risk: 76/100 Westwood — Low fire risk: 75/100

Demographics

Riverside has more residents (7,326 vs 88); Westwood has higher household incomes ($136,500 vs $78,988).

Riverside Westwood
Population 7,326
+99% vs other
 88
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +13.2% +39.7%
Median age 40 37
Median household income $78,988/yr $136,500/yr
+73% vs other
Median weekly rent $300/wk
+40% vs other
 $180/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Riverside Westwood
0-4 5.2% / 5.7%
Riverside — 0-4: 5.2% Westwood — 0-4: 5.7%
5-14 12.5% / 13.6%
Riverside — 5-14: 12.5% Westwood — 5-14: 13.6%
15-19 6.8% / 9.1%
Riverside — 15-19: 6.8% Westwood — 15-19: 9.1%
20-24 5.0% / 4.5%
Riverside — 20-24: 5.0% Westwood — 20-24: 4.5%
25-34 12.7% / 6.8%
Riverside — 25-34: 12.7% Westwood — 25-34: 6.8%
35-44 12.3% / 17.0%
Riverside — 35-44: 12.3% Westwood — 35-44: 17.0%
45-54 11.8% / 13.6%
Riverside — 45-54: 11.8% Westwood — 45-54: 13.6%
55-64 12.0% / 12.5%
Riverside — 55-64: 12.0% Westwood — 55-64: 12.5%
65-74 11.5% / 8.0%
Riverside — 65-74: 11.5% Westwood — 65-74: 8.0%
75-84 7.2% / 4.5%
Riverside — 75-84: 7.2% Westwood — 75-84: 4.5%
85+ 2.9% / —
Riverside — 85+: 2.9% Westwood — 85+: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.0%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Riverside 38.8% lone person
Riverside — Lone Person: 38.8% Riverside — Couple Families: 41.2% Riverside — One Parent Families: 15.2% Riverside — Group Household: 3.4% Riverside — Other Families: 1.4%
Westwood 52.9% lone person
Westwood — Lone Person: 52.9% Westwood — Couple Families: 47.1% Westwood — One Parent Families: 0.0% Westwood — Group Household: 0.0% Westwood — Other Families: 0.0%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Riverside 25.3% renting
Riverside — Owned Outright: 38.9% Riverside — Mortgage: 35.8% Riverside — Renting: 25.3%
Westwood 28.6% renting
Westwood — Owned Outright: 60.7% Westwood — Mortgage: 10.7% Westwood — Renting: 28.6%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Riverside 95.0% houses
Riverside — Houses: 95.0% Riverside — Flats / Apartments: 3.9% Riverside — Townhouses: 1.1%
Westwood 100.0% houses
Westwood — Houses: 100.0% Westwood — Flats / Apartments: 0.0% Westwood — Townhouses: 0.0%
Houses Flats / Apartments Townhouses

Qualifications

Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.

Riverside Westwood
Bachelor Degree 14.3% / 13.6%
Riverside — Bachelor Degree: 14.3% Westwood — Bachelor Degree: 13.6%
Certificate III & IV 14.9% / 11.4%
Riverside — Certificate III & IV: 14.9% Westwood — Certificate III & IV: 11.4%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.0% / 6.8%
Riverside — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.0% Westwood — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.8%
Postgraduate Degree 5.4% / 3.4%
Riverside — Postgraduate Degree: 5.4% Westwood — Postgraduate Degree: 3.4%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.3% / —
Riverside — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.3% Westwood — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (14.9%).

Property market

Riverside Westwood
Median house price $715,000 —
Median unit price $505,000 —
Median land price $306,000 —
Typical days to sell (houses) 22 days
from 88 sales
 —

Zoning mix

Westwood has more rural and farming land (100% vs 76%).

Riverside Westwood
Rural and farming 76% 100%
Residential 17% 0%
Environmental 4% 0%
Parks and recreation 2% 0%
Infrastructure and transport 1% 0%
Zoning sets what may be built, not what is there today. A single address can sit in a different zone to the suburb around it. Zones as at 2026-09.

Development activity

Riverside Westwood
New dwellings approved 159
across West Tamar
 202
across Meander Valley
Approvals change year on year +11% +67%

Gross rental yield

Gross — before strata, rates, management, insurance and vacancy. From median advertised rents and median asking prices over the last 6 months. How we calculate.

Riverside Westwood
Houses 4.3%
$620/wk on $745K
 —
Units 3.8%
$420/wk on $575K
 —

Ranking within TAS

Riverside Westwood
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 70% of TAS —
Schools Higher than 100% of TAS —
Walkability Higher than 34% of TAS Higher than 28% of TAS
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 73% of TAS Higher than 49% of TAS
NBN connectivity Higher than 94% of TAS Higher than 58% of TAS
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 56% of TAS —
Rental yield (units) Higher than 14% of TAS —

Liveability

Riverside Westwood
Grade A —
Score 64/100 —
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 6/10
 advantaged area
decile 7/10

Risk profile

Riverside Westwood
Bushfire Low
24/100
 Low
25/100
Crime Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Flood Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 0
within 5 km
same for both

Schools

Riverside Westwood
Inside the suburb 4 0
Rated above peers 3 0
Rated at peers 1 0
Rated below peers 0
same for both
Universities within 10 km 1
Launceston, 8.1 km
 None

Schools in Riverside

  • Riverside High School Government · Secondary above peers
  • Riverside Primary School Government · Primary above peers
  • St Anthony's Catholic School Catholic · Primary above peers
  • Launceston Christian School Independent · Combined at peers

Schools in Westwood

No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.

Amenities in the suburb

Riverside Westwood
Supermarkets 2 0
Cafes & restaurants 6 0
Parks & reserves 7 0
Childcare 5 0
GPs 1 0
Pharmacies 2 0
Banks & Bank@Post 1 0
Fuel stations 1 0
Waterways 1 0

Mobility

Riverside sits further from the CBD (211.4 km vs 206 km).

Riverside Westwood
Walkability score 0/100
same for both
Distance to Hobart 211.4 km
+3% vs other
 206 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 155 min 153 min
Electric vehicle share 0.8%
postcode 7250
 0.4%
postcode 7292
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 25
postcode 7250
 29
postcode 7292

How people get to work

Method of travel on census day 2021 — which fell during COVID restrictions, so working from home is inflated and every travel mode understated.

Riverside Westwood
Car (driver) 82.6% / 78.0%
Riverside — Car (driver): 82.6% Westwood — Car (driver): 78.0%
Worked from Home 7.6% / 22.0%
Riverside — Worked from Home: 7.6% Westwood — Worked from Home: 22.0%
Car (passenger) 6.2% / —
Riverside — Car (passenger): 6.2% Westwood — Car (passenger): not among its largest
Walked Only 1.5% / —
Riverside — Walked Only: 1.5% Westwood — Walked Only: not among its largest
Bus 1.5% / —
Riverside — Bus: 1.5% Westwood — Bus: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (82.6%).

Setting

Riverside Westwood
Elevation 147 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 191 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 38.5 km 42.1 km

NBN connectivity

Riverside Westwood
Connectivity score 99/100 30/100
Most common technology Fibre to the premises Fixed wireless
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 99%
3,494 premises
 0%
32 premises

Climate

Riverside Westwood
Annual rainfall 676 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 24.5°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 3.1°C
same for both

Council rates

Riverside Westwood
Average residential rate $1,859/yr $875/yr
Council West Tamar Meander Valley

Federal electorate

Riverside Westwood
Division Bass Lyons
Member Jess Teesdale Rebecca White
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Riverside Westwood
Grant amount $20,000
same for both
Property price cap —
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Riverside

Acreage

Westwood

Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Riverside

Riverside vs Trevallyn Riverside vs Legana Riverside vs Blackstone Heights Riverside vs Bridgenorth Riverside vs Rosevale

Other comparisons with Westwood

Westwood vs Hadspen Westwood vs Blackstone Heights Westwood vs Carrick Westwood vs Travellers Rest Westwood vs Hagley Westwood vs Rosevale
Full data on Riverside Full data on Westwood
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Information shown is provided as-is from Australian government and commercial data sources.
Always verify with the relevant authority before making property decisions.
See Data Sources and How We Calculate for details.

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